THE founder of the British Kebab Awards is Labour’s new candidate for Cities of London and Westminster.

Ibrahim Dogus, who owns several restaurants, said the constituency – spanning the West End and the City summed up what “what’s wrong with Britain”.

He told the West End Extra said: “On one street in this constituency vast fortunes are made, it is very wealthy, you have some of the most expensive houses.And on the next street you have some of the poorest, there are families relying on emergency food parcels, veterans sleeping on the streets, young people’s lives cut down from violence.”

He added: “I know it is not going to be easy for Labour to win this seat but I want to raise all these issues. This has been a Conservative seat for many years but there is always room for change.”

Mark Field, the Conservative candidate, won the last general election in 2015 with a majority of 9,671. The area has been a Tory stronghold since it was created in 1950.

Mr Dogus came to London in 1994 following his father who had come years before that as a refugee from Turkey. At the age of 15, Mr Dogus began working as a waiter at a restaurant in Mayfair. He studied politics and then international studies at university and at the age of 23 he decided to start his own kebab restaurant. He expanded, opening more restaurants, and has recently launched his own beer, Bira London. “It is the world’s first beer for kebabs,” he said.

Mr Dogus made headlines when he took care of emergency service staff at his restaurant in Belvedere Road, following the terrorist attack on Westminster Bridge earlier this year.

He said: “They said it’s not safe, but I said its OK, I wan to help, I am not leaving till you leave. I said this is what it is to be a Londoner.”